Animal-trap.



, B. T. Ross & P. G. VEATGH.

ANIMAL TRAP. ,v APPLIATION FILED SEPT. B, 1910.

995,095.' v v Patented June13,1911- To all whom it may concern:

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE;

EDWARD T. ROSS AND FRANK (if. VEATCH, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ANIMAL-TRAP,

Be it known that we, EDWARD T. Ross and FRANK G. VEATCH, citizens ofthe United States, residing in the cit and county of San Francisco and State o California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Animal-Traps, of which the following is a specifeation.

terial, to gnaw upwardly, and we havel This invention pertains to animal traps, and is particularly pertinent to spring traps.

The object of thisl invention 'is to provide a "simple, powerful and inexpensive device for catching animals; to provide especially a trigger device whereby the bait when placed upon the trigger isv revented from being jarred ofi' and is not ikely 'to be dislodged when attacked b animals; and to so design the trigger or ait holding device that milch time is saved in bait ng the same, and by insuring the proper retention of the vbait upon the trigger the frequent loss of' bait material is prevented, thus economizing in the use ofthis material.

It is a particular object of the invention to vdevise a trigger operated trap in-whieh the trigger is adapted to release the guillotine either when moved upwardly or downwardlyby the attacking animal, and which is so designed as to be particularly strong; the whole trap' being made to withstand long and constant use.

elevation of the trigger shown releasing the guillotine when depressed. Fig. 4 is a similar detail elevation showing the release of the trap bythe uplifting of the trigger. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the trigger. Fig. is an end view of lthe trigger.

It is well known that it is the habit of rats and other animals, when attacking mafound by actual experience that with` the common form of guillotine trap the bait is frequently entirely removed from the bait lever or trigger without releasing the guillotine loop. Investigation shows that the or'- dinary trap is not designed vto be operated by an upward pull on the bait, and is only Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 8,-1910. 'Serial No. 580,608.

Patented June 13, 191.

set olf when the bait lever pressed;

`We have actually constructed and successfully operated a number of traps so designed as to release the guillotine loop either upon depression of the lever or trie'- ger, or upon its beingpulled u wardly. 'lo accomplish this desideratum o a double act ing trigger and thus eiectually increase the adaptability and efficiency of the trap, we have shown mounted upon a suitable base member 2, a loop-shaped guillotine 3, pivoted in suitable bearings 4 by an angularly bent transverse rocker-arm 5 surrounded by a powerful resilient device or spring '6, one arm of which reaches forwardly and over one of the side arms of the guillotine 3; the other arm of the spring passing rearwardly below the transverse rocker-arm 5 of the spring and being secured in the base 2. This construction is such that when the guillotine loop 3 is forcibly turned 11pwardly and backwardly upon the base plate 2 it places thespring member 6 under tension, which is sutlicient to retain an animal between the surface of the plate 2 and the arms of the guillotine 3 when the guillotine is in the released position.

In order to retain the guillotine 3 in its out-turned or set position and under tension or' trigger is deof the spring 6, there is pivoted Aat 7 a looser spring-retaining lever 8 adapted to be' passed over the cross bar of the guillotine 3, and downwardly so that its free end occupies a position somewhat above the 'spring 6. Th'us the energy of the spring is effective upon the loose spring-retaining lever 8 close to its fulcrum 7 and exerts an upward.

thrust on the loose spring-retaining lever.

The loose spring-retaining lever, 'forming the releasing mechanism -for the guillotine 3, is held in its operative position by a peculiar and especially designed trigger 9 pivoted loosely upon a suitable member 10. One of the important features of this trigger resides in so forming its loose springretaining lever-holding shoulders 1l that they Iwill release the loose spring-retaining lever when the ou'terfbaited end 12 of the trigger is either depressed or elevated relative to its set position when en a 'ng the loose spring-retaining lever 8, w ic is under e'ect this double releasing property of the trigger 9 it-is formed with two parallel uppressure of the spring. In order to wardly extendingl bars 13, of suic'ient length to insure ample movement downwardly of theouter end of the loose springretaining lever toward the4 spring.6, and the upper'ends` of the bars 13 are then horizon-` tally orangularly bent-,toward one another to fornis'light shoulders 11 adapted to receive the'sliglit-ly-cur'ved end 14 of the loose springretaimnglever 8. The bars, after r,being bent suiciently to form the shoulders 11, Aare :then-I curved outwardly, as at 15,

" toward theliait carrying end 16 of the lever;

thus in operation when the b aited lever is depressed tHe 'shoulders will move outwardly off of the end 14 of the loose spring-retaining lever 8, and this being released will allow the expansion of the spring 6, which will rapidly throw over the guillotine 3.

When the baited end 16 of the llever is attacked by an animal and raised, the Shoalders 11 ofthe trigger ride upwardly on the inclined end 14 of the loose spring-retaining lever 8, and this is forced inwardly toward the open looped portion4 15 of the trigger;` being quickly released by the inclined 'wedgelike faces, and thus being effective to release the loose spring-retaining lever uni der theeffort of the spring 3.

Referring particularly to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawingsthevvtrigger is shown as comprising pair of mainl lever or body'l formingarms 17, which may be twisted, as at 18, to reinforce and stiften the lever, and the outer bait-receiving ends of the arms 17- are suitably bent upwardly and inwardly,

forming substantial hooks 12 between which, and the body portion of the lever, the bait may be firmly jammed. It has been found in territories where campaigns have been five specially form this hook structurevon the lever. This structure of trigger insures a substantial, powerful, practically rust-proof trigger and one having no' sharp cutting edges'or lips to be worn away, and this is particularly important with reference to that 'partof ,thetrigger which engages the releasing loose spring-retaining lever 8, because inV ordinary traps which are provided with sharp metallic edges, it has been found that these sharp edges willl eventually wear seats ornotches in the releasing loose springretaining lever which render the trap inoperative. The trigger `is-mounted upon its pivotal support 1'0 by forming suitable eyes 1. In a trap, the combination lwith a.

spring-actuated loop member, and a retaining lever therefor, of a trigger to engage said lever, said, trigger being pi'votally mounted having spaced upwardly'projecting bars, theupper ends of said bars being an.-v l

gularly bent toward each other to form-locking shouldersat the junction 'of the bent portions andbeing connected to form a space intermediate of the locking shoulders. 2. ln a trap, the combination with a 'springactuated loop member, and a reta-ining lever therefor, of a trigger to engage said lever, said trigger 'beingl pivotally mounted having spaced upwardly projecting bars, the upper ends ofsaid bars being a'ngularlyl bent toward each ,other to form locking shoulders at the junction of the bent portions and being connected to form a space intprmediate of the locking shoulders, the'bent upper ends of the bars con- `verging toward each other to form wedgelike sides to engage the free end of the rctaining lever.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing*witnesses` EDV/'ARD T. ROSS. f

v I FRANK GJVEATCH. lVitnesses: y i

CHARLES EDELMAN, FRANK L. GAY'ioR. 

